


It’s Been A Day

by Hamnster209



Series: Could’ve Sworn, I’ve Known You All My Life [1]
Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Found Family, Friendship, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:13:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 13,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27845056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hamnster209/pseuds/Hamnster209
Summary: Stopping a plague? Fighting gods? Nah, we’re good!Let’s talk about a cowardly vessel, a Lifeblood acolyte, and an ex-adventurerIt’s just a very tiring day
Series: Could’ve Sworn, I’ve Known You All My Life [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2072427
Comments: 1
Kudos: 28





	1. A Good Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Cowardly Vessel!

Vessels did not really ‘wake’. In order for a bug to truly ‘wake’ they must first truly ‘sleep’, which was not something vessels did.  
Nonetheless, Buck found themself coming to consciousness that morning in a state peaceful enough that perhaps they could label it as such. In fact, it was peaceful enough that, for just a moment, they considered spending the whole day in their nest, but only a moment!

After all, Greenpath Friend had said they would give them another lesson in “moth weaving” today, and Music Friend was going to teach them more about healing without magic! It was going to be a busy day.  
Who knows? Maybe they’ll even check on Brave Sibling’s adventures!

Buck, invigorated by today’s plans, sprung from their nest of old pillows and torn cloth and started collecting what they’d need for the day. Grabbing their mantis claws, two spools of weaver silk, a lifeblood tonic, a couple simple keys, their lumafly lantern, and all four of their charms to stuff in their void, they trot over to the shiny-disk-window-thing they nicked from some empty noblebug’s house to tie their bells on their horns.  
The bells were a gift from Music Friend that he had picked up during his travels. Buck really liked the sound of them jingling... even if they tended to give their position away sometimes.

Securing the two bells, they nod to the disk, the bells chiming gently, and grabbed their claw blade before climbing down from the Queen’s Station’s rafters.  
Landing just before the entrance the Fog Canyon, they take a second to look around.  
That pill bug that Brave Sibling is friends with hasn’t come back since that one time, and Brave Sibling is the only other bug that passes through here - friendly or otherwise.

Really, the Queen’s Station seemed to be the safest place in Hallownest! Buck sometimes wondered if the echoes of the Station’s past had something to do with why the infected hadn’t come into it yet. Music Friend said it’s possible, that places that have those echoes are “Soul-Soaked”, a kind of sacred ground that make bugs feel either at peace or unsettled, though their instincts will urge them to stay clear regardless of which. Apparently the temple Biggest Sibling was trapped in is Soul-Soaked and that’s why the infected stay clear of it, instincts that linger even in their corpses.

They were lucky that as a being primarily of void they had different instincts! Not that, that would have stopped them from making this gem of a hideout their home - Willoh was proof enough of how easily instincts can be overcome - but they probably would have been annoying, Buck might not have been able to truly enjoy the station bells! What a horrible thought...

Thoughts... those things they weren’t supposed to have. They’d never quite decided how they feel about the concept of living as an automaton, other than it’s not something that happened so they.. try not to think about it...

**Even if... should they focus enough on the void, they can hear Biggest Sibling’s cries of pain...**

Nope! Bad thoughts! They ‘woke up’ feeling good today and are not going to let their dumb thoughts ruin it!  
Swiftly turning around they march themselves into the Canyon, letting the gentle pink colours and thick atmosphere soothe their traitorous mind, popping a few bubbles and silently giggling.  
Fog Canyon really was one of their favourite places in the kingdom, so serene and gentle, as long as you were in return.

Unlike the rest of the inhabited lands of the fallen kingdom, nothing here _wanted_ to hurt you, if you got hurt it was do to nothing but your own carelessness. Charged lumaflies stuck to their swarms, oomas and uomas floated about their business, and the acid ponds and lakes minded their own bubbles thank you very much! It’s not _their_ fault you got in the way.

Making their way up to Greenpath at a sedate pace, popping any safe bubbles as they passed, Buck thought about the other safest place in Hallownest; Dirtmouth.  
Their sibling seemed to like it, another testament to their bravery in Buck’s mind, to be so often surrounded by that many bugs! Not to mention that _thing_... Music Friend called it “The Sky.”

Buck shivered, no thank you! That weird reverse void sea made of air freaked them right out! How could you ever be sure you wouldn’t fall in? The void sea at least had a dock! Truly, their sibling was the bravest of the brave. The other residents were normal bugs, having never seen the sea they probably didn’t think you _could_ fall in, but Buck was no fool, nothing so vast could have no secrets and they weren’t going to be lured into a false sense of security.

... Greenpath Friend thought their fears were silly.

Climbing up into Greenpath, they stuck their mantis claws into the wall and climbed their way onto the ceiling. They had wondered at first why their sibling only took one mantis claw, when one would certainly not hold their weight and two could let them crawl more efficiently, but then they saw them in action. As always, their sibling proved they knew what they were doing, who needed to crawl on ceilings when you could jump like _that_?

Buck could appreciate their dexterity, though they themself preferred stealth over speed, you don’t need to outmaneuver your enemies if they never know you’re there in the first place, right?  
Brave Sibling rarely seemed to have trouble with those either, there were a few that had them chasing after their wayward shade, (and how strong willed and determined their sibling must be to find the strength to put themself back together after losing it!), but Brave Sibling never gave up! Buck wished they were like Brave Sibling. 

A startled flock of maskflies fly away after they land. Aside from a few gulka and the occasional squit, travelling on ceilings really was the safest route, especially since vessels seemed to have near unlimited stamina. That probably wouldn’t be the case if they were injured or sick (if they can even get sick), but Music Friend saved Buck from Greenpath Friend’s “experiments” on the subject. Buck is pretty sure they were joking about testing that - they would never _hurt_ Buck after all - but Music Friend said he wouldn’t put it passed them to advise Buck to “discover their abilities” instead of healing next time they were injured.

Hopping up onto the platform leading to Greenpath Friend’s grove, they wondered what happened to “not letting their thoughts ruin their morning”.


	2. To A New Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Lifeblood Acolyte!

Keeper looked up from their spinning wheel at the sound of little bells drawing closer to them and smiled under their mask.  
Their friend really was a tiny little thing, without their horns they wouldn’t even reach their knees! Buck clearly was not a grub however, grubs didn’t have the maturity and awareness they showed, and certainly didn’t wield weapons.

They remember when they first met the little bug that became one of their most treasured friends, trapped under a tiny ledge with their claw blade out of reach, a moss knight pacing in front of the opening staking them out.

One hath no patience like the dead after all.

They had made swift work of the knight and made sure the cowering bug was truly not infected before approaching slowly.

“Hey there, you alright little guy?”

They flinched minutely before scrambling for their blade. Keeper had thought they were about to attack them but the little maybe grub just darted back under the ledge as soon as they had their weapon in their tiny claws.

“I’m not gonna hurt’cha, ya know? If I wanted ya hurt I’d’ve let that moss knight do the work for me.”

The grub didn’t come out, but it’s frantic breaths seemed to slow a bit as they kept talking.

“Haven’t seen you around Greenpath before, you new around here or just that good?”

No response.

“Not much for conversation, huh? That’s fine, I’ve always been a loud mouth so I’m sure I got enough words for the both of us.”

Keeper sat down cross legged by the opening between the low ledge and the ground, the grub tensed slightly and backed up a bit before seeming to settle down again.

“Yer pretty fast for such a little guy.”

Nothin’.

“That’s a pretty big claw for someone your size.”

Not even a twitch.

“You sure you know how to use it?”

Ah-ha! Those little shuffles could really only be embarrassment - better than blind fear. Really it wasn’t that surprising, if they remember correctly the only ones in Hallownest who used claw blades were the king’s guards, and with them all dead who would even teach them?  
A claw blade wasn’t like a nail where just any kind of swing was guaranteed to be effective, the curved blade required a certain precision for melee, though it made up for that by said curves allowing for ranged attacks.

Keeper chuckled, “Well, that’s alright. Anyone who wants to learn to use one nowadays is goin’ to have a lot of trial and error, though maybe you should pick a less dangerous target to practice with.”

The grub shuffled again before nodding, clearly they hadn’t thought it through.

“The room above us is a passageway between the Howling Cliffs and Greenpath, nothing but vengeflies and crawlids in it. If you want we could go up and try on them, you practice while I supervise and all that.”

The bug who was seeming less like a grub the more they watched them stared back at them for a moment, it felt like those empty eyes were staring into their soul, before - ever so slowly - they nodded.

* * *

Keeper never regretted saving their cowardly little friend from that moss knight. Friends were hard to come by nowadays and even before now it was hard to find friends that were as loyal and good listeners as Buck.  
Buck may not be able to speak but Keeper knew that they did listen, their gestured questions were proof enough. 

Buck was a very curious and opportunistic bug.  
To them, all knowledge was both useful and interesting! Though that sometimes got them into trouble, they had once had to drag them away from a truly arrogant bug that was spouting false knowledge he was calling “precepts”, and Certainty had once told them he had to apologize to a relic seeker on their behalf for attempting steal some artifacts!

That was another, less troublesome problem Buck had, though many would probably say that in a world such as this it’s only a virtue. They knew though, their friend’s kleptomania wasn’t something that grew from necessity, that’s just how they were born. Keeper had seen their nest once, up there in the rafters of the Queen’s Station. 

Two words: Junk. **Everywhere.**

They’re fairly certain that they could ask after anything and Buck would have one, probably _ten!_  
They were glad that Buck was too scared of the Waterways to explore them, Certainty had told them of how much “treasure” could be found there, enough that one area of it was literally called the “Junk Pit”. They’d probably never see Buck again if they found out.

“Welcome back, Scaredy-squit. Ready ta try again?”

Buck seemed to huff at the nickname, though no sound was made, and Keeper knew they were pouting. Really teasing them was just too much fun.

“Why don’ you pull up a stone, I’ve almost got enough silk for our lesson today.”

Buck nodded and pulled a stone for them to sit on next to the smaller loom Keeper had set out for them.

* * *

The less said about the actual lesson, the better. Keeper did their best to not let their friend become discouraged, but they knew that no matter how well Buck _understood_ how to weave, it didn’t help the fact they were so clumsy with their claws. Sure, Buck was good with them when it came to quick motions like snatching items and throwing/catching their blade, but delicate work like weaving, charm making, or elixir brewing? You’d have more luck trying to domesticate a belfly.

“Don’t worry Buck, even if worst case scenario you never get it; no one is good at everything. The world is full millions of possible skills! So you can’t weave, so what? You just have to find the ones that feel like you!”

Buck may not have facial expressions but the look they were giving them was unmistakable.

“You’re right, that sounded really dumb and I should just leave the whole ‘wisdom’ thing to Certainty.”

Buck nodded before going back to the mess that was their project. Keeper honestly wasn’t even sure what it was supposed to be anymore. They supposed Certainty should be arriving soon anyway so they got up to make some tea.

They had some nice new leaves from the berry bushes in the Queen’s Gardens that made for a particularly sweet tea, and it had quickly become their little friend’s favourite, especially with honey.  
Certainty was happy to find a tea they liked so he could share a favoured pastime with them.

Speaking of their other friend, they wondered if he was having any better luck in teaching their little clumsy-claw. They know he’s already said he won’t be teaching them how to brew elixirs or potions as those required too delicate a claw for Buck to handle, but Keeper doesn’t actually know anything about such medicines other than that tonics, potions, and elixirs all require a different brewing process.  
He _had_ said that tonics were probably within Buck’s reach, but then, Keeper had _also_ said they could probably manage moth weaving because it was easier than the silk weaving of spiders.

Well, they guess they’ll just have to ask him when he gets here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update dec 8: I have decided that Keeper will speak like me from now on, I don’t know if it really counts as an “accent” but I have been going over their dialogue and changing the sentences to how I would pronounce them. (And reading them out loud to be sure)


	3. Yesterday Was Nice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And The Ex-Adventurer!

Certainty was a bug of many qualities, at least, he liked to think so. Before coming to the kingdom of Hallownest he had spent his days exploring this grand world they lived in, so much bigger than what your average bug would imagine. 

He had read the Soul-Signs at the kingdom’s entrance in King’s Pass; “The last and only civilisation” his right antenna! Just because the only really _substantial_ civilisation was a few moon cycles away. Really that ‘Pale King’ was quite the arrogant fellow, wasn’t he? There were even a few Wasteland tribes that were pleasantly friendly to travellers, it was interesting to see how much each tribe differed from the others on his way here.

That’s not to say he didn’t understand what those signs were truly telling him, oh he knew. “Relinquish the mind” indeed. Quite the clever bit of spellwork he’ll give him that, and good protection for the kingdom at that. A ward around the kingdom that shall gradually take your memory of it should you choose to leave, add on to that some terrifying tall tales of the Wasteland’s powers and no one would suspect.

Well, he didn’t mind, he was perfectly happy where he was, and he knew it wouldn’t do anything else. He doesn’t make a habit of letting himself be put under spell without a through examination of what the the spell entails.

Yes, he was very happy with his (relatively) new home in Hallownest. He had always had a weakness for the beauty of ruins, the quiet grace in the aftermath of destruction, and oh if Hallownest was not just abound with grace! 

The cool calmness of the Howling Cliffs and the Resting Grounds, the show of rightful rejuvenation in the Queen’s Gardens and Greenpath, the standing architecture of the Crossroads and the City of Tears! Not to mention the intriguing mysteries that seemed to be written in every stone and monument; the intimidating Temple of the Black Egg, the impossibly _missing_ Royal Palace, and of course the strange zombies that seemed to act more like sleepwalking bugs than actual corpses.

He was in no hurry to solve these mysteries however, after all they weren’t going anywhere and neither was he, not anymore. He had fallen deeply and inescapably in love with the kingdom’s capital, made a home for himself in one of the abandoned spires (not the esteemed Watcher’s spire of course), and had even befriended a few of the locals.

Lemm, a relic seeker by profession and a neighbour surprisingly enough. He was a gruff fellow who tended to put up more of a standoffish front than he truly meant. A bit of an anti-social bug, though he was open to occasionally talking of history over tea.

Keeper, a mantis-moth halfling who had promptly proclaimed themself his “bestie”. They had met while he was in Greenpath collecting herbs for his brewing. As someone who was well versed in the ways of lifeblood, they were curious about why he was collecting some lifeflowers when they were entirely toxic without having their nectar filtered through lifeseeds.

He told them of course that he knew that, he had intended to take some home to raise some lifeseeds of his own. They had simply lit up at that and began a long lecture on the proper way to care for lifeseeds and flowers, along with some secret tips those of the Lifeblood faith used to keep them especially strong and healthy to produce better purified (and more potent) lifeblood. They had even helped him take them into the city. The rest was history.

Then there was Buck...

Certainty had seen many things on his travels, but never had he encountered anything quite like Buck. A bug, but also very clearly, not a bug. Their horns reminded him of the legends the tick tribe had told him of the great titanic beasts their ancestors supposedly fed on, with horns the size of kingdoms that were shaped like weaponized roots.  
When he had told them so, Keeper proclaimed that they should name themself as such! He hadn’t even known they were nameless!

Buck had not protested, on the contrary, they had seemed quite excited at the prospect of a name, especially one so “cool” as Keeper had said.

Keeper was how they had met, them being Keeper’s friend first and they introducing the two. Buck had been enthralled with his tales of outside the kingdom, but nothing had been more interesting to them than his music.

As a cricket, he was naturally musically inclined, and Buck had been astounded at the thought of an organ that existed for no other purpose than to make pretty sounds. The difference in the sounds had meaning of course and were very important to cricket culture, but that did not make the statement less true. Regardless of what those sounds meant or their importance, they were pretty, and his wings only really existed to make them.

That had prompted him to gift them some bells he had from his trip through Pharloom, he can’t even remember how that particular venture went it was so long ago, and even after all these years he had still not found a use for them. He was not however, in the habit of throwing away gifts, so he had figured that they were probably better in the claws of someone who would appreciate them for what they were, rather than someone who struggled to find a reason to keep them.

Buck’s eyes may be empty but he would swear he saw hero worship in them at that moment.

Buck was quite keen on learning everything he had to offer, and Certainty was all too happy to share. He loved being able to use the knowledge that he had gathered throughout his travels to help people, it made him feel like the journeys he had taken had a more fulfilling purpose than just his own enjoyment and wonder.  
Today he was going to teach them about some of the medicinal herbs that he used in his tonics and elixirs, in fact.

They should be just finishing their moth weaving lesson with Keeper right about now. Moth weaving he had learned, is a traditional form of silk weaving that uses silkmoth silk instead of spider silk. Though unfortunately it is only a _slightly_ less delicate process, meaning that poor Buck probably won’t be making any masterpieces anytime soon.

Leaping onto the ledge by the waterfall that leads into Keeper’s grove, he pushes aside the hanging vines and foliage hiding it from unwanted eyes. It was a lovely little place Keeper had been fortunate enough to snatch up for themself that reminded him a bit of The Hunter’s grove, though with a lower ceiling, a small spring they had managed to lead from the waterfall outside, and of course no fang-shaped rocks to ward off intruders.

Sometimes he wondered if there was not something more to the halfling’s luck than merely good fortune.


	4. “Good Morning!”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang’s all here!
> 
> I know nothing about sign language and any signs used in this story are silly little things I made up!

Buck looked up from their weaving at the greeting chirp behind them, jumping from their rock to hug their friend in a greeting of their own.

“Good morning, Buck. How goes the weaving?”

Buck looked over at their ‘project’ and rubbed a claw on their mask sheepishly. They were probably the only one who could still tell it was supposed to be a cloak. They silently cursed their clumsy-claw.

“Well, you have always been tenacious, and I see no reason why it wouldn’t serve you now when it always has before. Have patience my friend, you’ll get it eventually.”

Buck nodded. Giving up never got them anywhere, and nothing stood up to their stubbornness forever, not even inanimate objects!

“I think it might be best for a break though, hm? Keeper appears to have made some tea.”

Buck turned around to see Greenpath Friend walking out of their hut with some tea and a small jar of honey. Yes!  
They quickly pull their rock over to the larger one they and their friends used as an outdoor table and sat down, bouncing in place and making their bells jingle.

“Alright, alright, I’m comin’, keep your cloak on!” Greenpath Friend giggled, their green wings fluttering a bit in amusement.

As they placed the board of shell wood on the table, Buck immediately went for the jar and began fighting it open.

“*snerk* hang on squit, le-let me get it for you! Remember to save some for us, ya?” Greenpath Friend reprimanded them through their snickering, clearly finding them “cute” again.

“You know, if you went to The Hive, you could probably take a few jars for yourself, my friend. Honey keeps fairly well, after all.”

Buck froze. While Music Friend had a point, and Buck would love to add a few jars of honey to their stash... their not sure they could face the bees.  
The hivelings sure, but the soldiers and guardians...  
They had seen their sibling fight them from afar, the soldiers’ piercing dives and the guardians’ crushing blows. 

No.

The honey wasn’t worth that, not in their scrolls. They were just fine having it with their tea when they drink with their friends.  
They shook their head.

“No? Well, perhaps I will collect some for you as well next time I resto- oh!”

Buck cut him off with a hug, they knew he understood, he always did; It wasn’t about not wanting to, but finding the strength to do things like that was hard for them, and in combat situations, that kind of hesitation wasn’t something you could just risk! Not for something as simple and unnecessary as honey.

“Alright, here you big weirdo!”

They pulled their attention back to Greenpath Friend long enough to snatch the jar of honey from their claws before adding much as they could to their tea before they would be scolded.  
They could hear Music Friend and Greenpath Friend sharing a laugh at their antics.

“Have you been studying that journal on medicinal plants I gave you?”

They nodded, they took their learning very seriously, you never knew what would be useful! Plus there was something special about learning something that was so important to a friend. They wanted to make him proud.

“Good, it will make our lesson today much easier to understand. How far have you gotten?”

They held up one claw vertically and moved their other over it in a semicircle motion; the sign they and their friends came up with for “half”.

“Wonderful, the beginning chapter teaches important general knowledge of the subject before the others focus more on specific specimens. It was what I mostly wanted you to focus on before today.”

They figured. As the journal had gone on it gradually listed more and more plants that they were _sure_ didn’t grow in Hallownest. While the first chapter focused on things that were important to know for identifying plants in general, like the importance of light availability and soil types.

“Alright _scholars_ , save it for the lesson before you bore me to death!”

“Ah, of course, a tragic way to go.”

Buck’s bells jingled with their silent giggles as their friends started bickering. They wondered if this was how all bugs felt when spending time with their friends, all bubbly and floaty inside.  
As they held their cup up to their eye they decided, it didn’t matter. They could feel however they wanted, and no one could tell them that they weren’t even supposed to be able to want at all.

* * *

“Right then, to the Gardens, shall we?”

Buck nodded, bouncing in place. They were particularly excited for this lesson, a clumsy-claw wouldn’t effect them when they didn’t even have to touch anything.

“Be careful out there! The traitors have been especially aggressive lately!”

Yes, ever since Brave Sibling had slain the Traitor Lord, the traitor mantises had become much more aggressive - if more uncoordinated.

“I’d noticed!” Music Friend called back in sync with Buck’s nod.  
“We know what we’re doing, hm?”

They put their claws on their hips and nodded firmly, they found it easier to fight when they had someone to watch their back, and they trusted him to do so.

They wished they could tell their friends they knew where all the changes in the kingdom were coming from lately, but that would just lead to more questions, questions they... didn’t want to answer.  
How do you tell your friends that, in a way, you’re just as much an undead creature as the infected they slay every day? Yeah, _that_ sounds like it would go well for _sure_.

Waving goodbye to Greenpath Friend, they push aside the vine curtain and jump down from the ledge, startling the maskflies resting on the path. Though not before looking up to the bench in front of the waterfall. The lamp was broken.. Brave Sibling had come through here recently, recently enough that the mender bugs hadn’t replaced it yet. 

They hoped they didn’t run into them.  
Sure they could hide, but even if Music Friend didn’t question them, he would still _have_ questions. Music Friend was smart, there were only so many questions he could have before he started to piece together the answers by himself.

“Something wrong, Buck?”

They shook their head, there was nothing they could do about it. They’d just have to pray for luck and hope Unn can hear them while they’re in her domain.


	5. Just Pick Yourself Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something is amiss in the Crossroads!

As the footsteps of their friends faded away, Keeper started cleaning up the dishes and putting away their weaving supplies. Taking another look at Buck’s...?  
They don’t know, it looked like a rug that was meant to be more of an ‘art piece’ than anything functional. Regardless, they put it away with as much care as any of their own projects.

Looking over their collected works of clothing and blankets, they decide that now would probably be a good time to bring them up to Dirtmouth for selling. Sly may not be the most _honest_ merchant, but it was a lot easier to sell them to him then it was to go door-to-door or set up shop themselves.

Gathering up their goods in a wicker basket made from fool eater leaves, they head out of their grove down the path to Dirtmouth. It was a short walk from Greenpath to the Crossroads, but coming to the broken bridge between the two they stop.  
There, hovering above the acid lake, was what could only be a vengefly... if vengeflies were the size of LESSER MAWLEKS!

The thing was at least four times the size of a regular vengefly, with glowing orange eyes and infected pustules pulsating on it’s carapace.  
Keeper slowly put their basket down behind a ruined monument to Unn and drew their channeled nail before slowly backing up to the opening of the lower passageway. This creature was clearly different from it’s brethren and they didn’t want to be fighting it over the acid if they could help it. Quietly making their way to the small island of broken stone on the lake, they make to get their footing, before jumping to strike it’s underside!

The beast let’s out a shriek before making a horrible, continuous chittering noise, honing in on them relentlessly. Every strike of their nail barely pushed it back with no signs of staggering!  
They managed to land a fatal blow on it’s thorax, it’s body landing beside them on the island.  
Wait, they knew those shivers...  
Eyes widening, with no time to crawl back through the pass the took to the air just in time to see the carcass explode in a cloud of infection with a bang that no volatile mosskin has ever made.

Well that was... interesting. Landing by the monument, they think on what this could mean. Was the infection getting stronger? If so, were the other husks changed as well? Maybe it was just a strange mutation that one had, but, why was it so close to Greenpath?  
Picking up their basket and returning to their route, Keeper reminds themselves to tell- oh, oh no.  
At the end of the bridge they can see another, just as swollen with infection as the first, and behind it? An orange vapour leaks out from the Crossroads. This cannot be good.

They quickly repeat their motions with this new ‘infected vengefly’, before making sure their mask is secure.  
This was.. probably pretty dumb, but they were going to go for it.  
Peeking their head in through the doorway they observe the large room that used to be filled with gruz and tiktiks. Oh, they were still there, but the gruz had swollen to twice their original size and were now.. leaking? Shooting? Globs of infection down from above, with eyes that sloshed bright orange (Keeper would bet anything they were explosive too), and of course the whole room was filled with the sickly sweet orange vapour. 

“Well fuck.”

It’s at times like these Keeper cursed their height, Buck and Certainty would likely have a much easier time maneuvering around these creatures.  
Tying their basket to their back with some silk and keeping their nail at claw, they cautiously start jumping from platform to platform making their way to the top. At least the gruz still only bounced off whatever surfaces they came into contact with rather than honing in on you.  
Keeper carefully makes their way to the doorway-

“GAH- FUCK!”

Only to immediately be attacked by another massive vengefly.

“Guh-huh, huh... shit!”

Quickly sprinting for the chain leading up the well, they cursed the fact that it was too narrow for their wingspan. Pulling themselves up the chain and hulling themselves over the edge, Keeper lays there on the ground catching their breath.

“Oh my wyrm! A-are you alright?!”

Keeper opens their eyes, not remembering when they closed them, to see that beetle who had taken to following that arrogant fool around lately, Bretta, they think her name was?

“Yeah, jus’... need a minute.” 

Picking themselves off the ground they make their way over to the bench in the centre of town and flop down on it.  
They were grateful the benches in this kingdom were charmed with healing spells (though they never figured out why the king would order such a strange thing).  
They take off their basket to check on their cargo. No damage, good.

Getting up they make their way to Sly’s shop, ignoring the wary glance Elderbug gives them (paranoid old man).

“The hell happened to you?!”

Ah- though the bench had healed their wounds, they were still covered in infection and hemolymph, they’re fairly certain there are bits of exploded vengefly in their ruff as well.

“Put whatever you’ve got for me down and go clean up! I’ve got a spring downstairs you can use.”

Though they know he’s going to charge them for it, Keeper takes the offer to wash up. Really they know the real reason he’s going to charge them is for worrying him.  
Keeper may not - and never will be - one of his students, but they know he’s come to see them the same way he did those he taught.

Climbing down the narrow hole to the rest of his home, they find the door to his spring and duck inside.  
It’s smaller than public springs, about half the size and with no bench. They swiftly get to work washing out the blood and pus, being extra careful with their wings and antenna.

They have to tell him, they have to tell _everyone!_ The Forgotten Crossroads have just become as dangerous as Crystal Peak, maybe even Kingdom’s Edge! It’s not the place for amateur warriors to practice their skills anymore. If someone like that beetle were to go down there without knowing it’s changed... they have to warn them.

They’re not going to let anyone be unprepared, _never_ again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo... apparently I’m giving Keeper an angsty backstory I guess? I didn’t plan for any of this to happen


	6. Tomorrow Will Be Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buck and Certainty’s biology lesson is cut a little short.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> know nothing about plants! Aloe Vera knowledge is from here: https://succulentsbox.com/blogs/blog/how-to-identify-different-types-of-succulent-part-ii-aloe-agave-gasteria-and-haworthia

“This one is ‘Aloe Vera’, aloe leaves are thick and fleshy. The color can be light to dark green and aloe leaves are generally smaller in size compared to agave leaves. The edges are covered by prickles but they feel quite soft to the touch. Go ahead and try them, my friend.”

As Buck inspected the plant, Certainty marveled at their focus! His friend had took to the theoretical nature of identifying flora like a durandoo to acid. It was no surprise that one could forget that more practical ‘hands-on’ hobbies were a near lost cause for them. 

“I would suggest you remember this one carefully, Buck. It’s common in many concoctions, and quite useful on it’s own as well for it’s help with burn wounds.”

His companion nods, still feeling the thick leaves.  
They had been travelling the Gardens for a few hours now and despite the reports of aggravated activity for the mantises, they had yet to run into a single one.

Were he a more optimistic bug he’d call it lucky, but in his experience he deemed it suspicious.  
They hadn’t passed anyone else on the way here, and there were no corpses to indicate anyone coming before them either.

He didn’t want to worry Buck with his speculations should they turn false, (his friend had enough worries without his help) but he did not want them to be caught off guard either.

Though when he weighs the cons...

“My friend-“

***Shink***

The remains of the aloe vera ooze with their natural gel from the petra’s blade that had only just missed them.  
They suddenly find themselves surrounded by traitors, coming out from the underbrush and swooping in from above. An ambush? Even with their Lord dead they can pull off such tactics? He had underestimated them.

“Run!”

There were too many, it felt like every mantis in the Garden was there. To face them head on was suicide!  
Better to flee while they were still positioning and take a few swipes than to be cornered in while fighting back.

Racing through a small opening between two traitors, Certainty takes a slash to the shoulder. He stumbles briefly, hemolymph dripping down his arms. Buck looks back at his grunt of pain and clearly seems to be on the verge of a panic attack but-

“Keep going!”

They can’t stop, for not even a moment.  
Down the path he sees the opening in the ceiling that leads to the stagway and is struck with and idea.

“Buck! The stagway! It locks from the inside! Make for the stagway!”

Buck looks hesitant, but they trust him, so they nod. They both hop up to the stagway; Buck darting inside but while Certainty turns to join them a petra intercepts him from below, catching his knee with it’s claw and forcing him down, two more right behind it.

“Close it!”

Buck looked stunned.

“DO IT!”

They do.

Certainty turns to climb the wrought iron flaps leading up the wall, striking the encroaching mantis across the face and shoving it into the growing pile of traitors attempting to squeeze through the opening.

With his superior jumping abilities, he manages to leap right into an alcove in the side of the wall and quickly does _the best_ impression of a mosscreep he has ever done in his life.  
The mantises luckily assume the obvious route and continue upwards passed the alcove, though their forces split up between the left and right at the top.

Waiting a moment to be sure there are no stragglers, he glances behind himself at the rest of the alcove. It seems to go on much deeper than he can see from his position.  
Perhaps he can rest here and tend to his wounds.

Cautiously, he stands and limps further into the greenery, noting the thorns that seem to cover most of the pass. Under normal circumstances they wouldn’t be an issue, but with the adrenaline wearing off and the pain sinking in, he finds himself having difficulty avoiding them.

They don’t appear to go much further however, and the pass opens up into a beautiful little grove, full of large white flowers that seem to glow, and with what appears to be a traditional mantis’s grave.

The peacefulness of this place surprises him. It feels much more like the calm forest of Greenpath than the wild jungle that is the Queen’s Gardens. The difference is stark, but not jarring.

Certainty approaches one of the flowers though he doesn’t touch. He’s never seen a plant like this before, he wonders what properties it has. Perhaps he can come back later and try to uproot one for cultivation? Something to think about.

Making himself comfortable a little ways away from the grave, he digs out a vile of spring water and a lifeblood tonic from his satchel. He applies the spring water to a handkerchief Keeper made him and uses it to disinfect his wounds. The healing properties of the spring water will help as well.

Downing the tonic, he can feel the pain receding. He watches as a faint blue glow surrounds the gashes in his shoulder and knee, protecting them better than any bandage could.  
Not to say he’s not going to wrap them, it won’t stop the bleeding after all.

Pulling out some moth silk bandages, he thanks Keeper in his head for their generosity. Certainty knows it’s not an issue for them, but they are not obligated in any way to keep their friends stocked with supplies.

Ah- listen to him, as if he himself does not make sure his friends have access to any concoction or ingredient his storeroom has to offer.

Wounds tended, he takes a moment to inspect the grave; “Here sleeps the Traitors’ child.”

“‘The Traitors’ child’, hm? Interesting...”

Another mystery it seems, he wonders if this kingdom will ever run out of them.


	7. Sometimes It Rains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahh guess who finally showed up! It will be a bit longer til’ they have a more substantial role, but they’re here!

This... this is not good.

Everything was going so well! No enemies, no worries, no sign of their sibling, everything was perfect!

**They should have known better, nothing is ever perfect...**

They had just been learning about a nice squishy plant that helps with burns when those mantises came out of nowhere! They ran, and Music Friend got hurt, they tried to get into the stagway station together but those petra blocked his way! And then...

_“DO IT!”_

They didn’t want to, their body just moved! And now, and now Music Friend was...

He was fine, he had to be! Music Friend was a brave adventurer just like Brave Sibling! Something like this wouldn’t stop him! He had been all over the world and fought all kinds of bad guys! Yes, he was fine!

Nodding to themselves, they flinch when one of the traitors bang on the door. Unlike the petra, the mantis traitors are large and heavy, and wouldn’t be able to climb the platforms Music Friend surely took, so they stayed with the prey they knew they could catch.

Buck didn’t know what the door was made of and didn’t know if it would hold. They could call the stag but, even if they managed to put their personal issues with talking to him aside (unlikely), they didn’t want to leave the Gardens without Music Friend.

Looking around the station for something that could give them an idea, they see it. High on the wall by the stagway, there was a hole, and it looked big enough for them to fit.  
They probably wouldn’t even have to climb the wall to get to it, they can make that jump!

Leaping into the hole, they find it’s actually much more spacious than they thought, and it seems to lead out into another part of the Gardens. Though they haven’t gone this far in before and can’t recognize the area.  
They cautiously make their way back into the foliage, though there only seems to be a few mossflies. They can handle that!

They hadn’t had to attack anything in a while, but drawing their blade felt entirely natural. Quickly making sure their grip is correct, they wind up and toss!  
The claw hits as hard as ever, killing the mossfly instantly, before it boomerangs back to Buck’s claws.

They can’t help but puff up with pride, it took them _forever_ to get that right! Throwing it properly so that it comes back, while still throwing it hard enough it does the damage it’s known for, and then catching it so they didn’t end up with a taste of their own medicine. 

They hop down the short dip in the path, that seems to access a small opening, and are just about to climb into the next room when-

“MARMUUUU! Marmu!”

What?

They can hear... fighting? 

They swiftly climb the ledge to the next room and peek over it. There, in the centre of the room is Brave Sibling fighting... nothing? No, they can hear the nail hitting something, and they can hear their opponent’s um “battle cries”, but it looks like they’re just.. swinging their nail in the air.

Whatever was happening doesn’t go on for long, a long cry is let out by their opponent before Brave Sibling relaxes their stance. They then focus on a gravestone Buck hadn’t noticed in their tunnel vision.  
Whatever that accomplishes, they seem satisfied and are... coming this way DAMMIT!

Buck turns around trying not to panic, then they remember the opening under the ledge. They haven’t been so grateful for a small space between a ledge and the ground since they met Greenpath Friend. They quickly tuck themselves as far back in it as they can and start covering themselves in whatever they can get their claws on.

Brave Sibling jumps into the dip and Buck freezes.  
They’re staring at something really hard...

It’s... it’s the carcass of the mossfly Buck killed...

....

A breath, and they’re gone.

Buck let’s out a breath they didn’t realize they were holding. That... was too close.  
When they observe Brave Sibling’s adventures it’s usually from a safe, unnoticeable distance behind some clutter, and usually from behind them too.

They know that logically they don’t have anything to be scared of, they aren’t infected and they wouldn’t attack or challenge Brave Sibling, so they wouldn’t hurt them. 

**But they abandoned them all the same, they never helped them never helped anyone useless useless useless-**

It didn’t matter. They had other things to be worrying about. Music Friend was still out there and he might need their help! 

Crawling out from under the ledge, they hear the clack of the station door’s lever followed by the swipes of traitors and the strikes of their sibling’s nail. They creep up to the hole and peek inside in time to see their sibling smack the station bell with their nail and the final traitor fall.

They duck back down at the thundering of the stag’s footfalls and hear him grunt out a greeting. They hear a tapping sound which is probably their sibling’s nail on the stagway map, before the stag confirms (The Resting Grounds apparently), and more thundering as they scamper away.

Buck peeks back out now that they’re gone, and hops back into the station. They take advantage of the now safe passage and start climbing the platforms. Though they break in the alcove of Delicate Flowers when they realize; they don’t know which way he went...

Well left probably leads to where they just came from considering that’s technically the direction Brave Sibling came from, and if left is just going to loop they might as well try right, right? Right.

Decision made, they climb the rest of the platforms up to the top, knocking down mossflies when they can.  
Reaching the top they step up to the right path, look back down the climb, and nod to themselves.

Yes, right is right.


	8. Even When It’s Sunny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something ought to be done!

“You’re sure?”

“... remember how I walked in ‘ere, and ask me that again, old man.”

Keeper wondered if they should take their mask off so they could show him how unimpressed they were with him. Their deadpan was probably glorious right now.

“Alright, alright, I believe you! Hmm.. this is troubling though, the infection hasn’t spread this strongly since the king left.”

Keeper was sat on the floor of Sly’s shop, leaning against the counter with their legs outstretched and resting their head on their arms (mindful of their claws). It wasn’t the most comfortable position, but they were too big for any of his furniture and they couldn’t convince him to leave his till.

“I’m more worried about the here and now! Those crossroads are the waypoint of most the kingdom, and unless you take the lift to the Peak or the tunnel through the Cliffs they’re the entrance fer it too.  
The Peak and the Cliffs both need some serious agility to traverse so a lotta bugs might be outta luck.”

“Hmm, well, regardless we’ll have to warn everyone we can. I can handle the bugs in town while you tell any bugs still hiding in the ruins. Go grab a map from those competitors of mine and I’ll mark the few I know of on it.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Coordinating themselves into a standing position they snap up their basket and sling it on their back. It will probably come in handy if their going to be gallivanting about the kingdom.

“I’ll be right back.”

Ducking out of the shop they head for Iselda. Dirtmouth being one of the only settlements of living bugs still in the kingdom, they’ve made a point to be on friendly terms with the townsfolk, with a few notable exceptions.

They can’t even bring themselves to be offended by Elderbug’s attitude towards them, having learned the teachings of Lifeblood under their father - and refusing to hide it since the king’s ‘disappearance’ - they were used to stares and scorn. They just wish that was the actual reason for his attitude... or that they were a halfling or that their mother was a foreigner or their own attitude or _literally anything other than “they seemed weird and gave him bad vibes” like what the hell?!_

Ok so maybe they were a little offended, but only a little! It’s not like they could do anything about it but it still stung, and it was more frustrating than when bugs used an actual aspect of them as an excuse to be a dick. Because at least then Keeper knew it was because they were assholes but Elderbug... they don’t even understand what about them upsets him!

Whatever, it’s not really their problem so they shouldn’t worry about it.  
Knocking on the doorframe of Cornifer and Iselda’s home they duck inside.

“Oh Keeper! How are you?”

“Could be better, the Crossroads have suddenly become a death trap and I’m gonna need a map if I’m gonna warn everyone.”

“A DEATH TRAP?! What?! Please tell me you’re exaggerating, my Corny is still out there right now!”

“Ah, right, well kinda? Their about as dangerous as Kingdom’s Edge so Cornifer should probably be fine. He’s a crafty one.  
The danger is really in not being prepared for the sudden change though everyone should probably stay clear anyway. The map is to help me find the bugs still living in the kingdom so they can be told.”

“I see, well, I’ll get you the biggest one we have then. If it’s as serious as you say no one should go unaware.”

“Thanks ‘Sel.”

Iselda dug through copies of maps until she found one that encompassed most the kingdom. It was sketchy and clearly unfinished, but it would do. It’s not like there were _that_ many bugs, and even less that would even go anywhere.

“Alright, I’ll see ya later then.”

“Good luck.”

Ducking back out (why were all these doorways so Beast damn short?!) they pace back to Sly to let him mark their map.

* * *

“Alright, there’s a charm guru here, and a nailsmith here, I’m fairly certain there’s no one in the Crystal Peak...”

“Good, if there was I wouldn’t be able to help them, I can’t guarantee ma wings’ safety in that place.”

“Considering the guru lives in the Crossroads she should be your first priority.”

“Yeah, there’s also that relic seeker here, and The Hunter here, Sheo is here-“

“What?”

“Umm... I mean...”

Sheo had made them promise they wouldn’t mention him in front of Sly. They had hesitantly agreed though they hadn’t wanted to, Sheo was a good friend but Sly was... Sly. They probably couldn’t hide anything from him if they had wanted to, though they may have slightly forgotten about that particular promise.

“Nevermind, if he can’t be bothered to come see me I’m not going to mope about it. Just... tell me he’s well?”

“He uhh.. he’s taken up painting?”

“Hmph, well tell him to come see me anyway! I practically raised those boys and it’s not like I’m hiding!”

“Sure thing, old man.”

“I should start charging you for that.”

They spent some time remembering all the bugs they knew and marking their places on the the map. The map didn’t reach all of them, but Keeper knew where those ones were thankfully so it wouldn’t be an issue. They just wrote their names down on the side so they wouldn’t forget and they could check them off. When they were done they took a step back to look it over.

“That’s... a lot more than we thought, huh?”

“I suppose it’s kind of heartening to see how much life is still in the kingdom, though perhaps you could convince some to move to Dirtmouth?”

“You just want more customers.”

“Lies and slander, child!”

“Uh-huh.”

They’d missed him, after their father died he’d been the closest thing they had to a parent. They should visit more often, they know he wouldn’t mind even if he started grumbling about loitering and geo.  
Keeper had never met Mato or Oro, but personally they thought Sheo’s excuse for not visiting was weak. Sly was practically their dad wasn’t he? Keeper would give anything for more time with their father, the thought that those three were squandering their time with him for such stupid reasons- it just makes them so angry.

“Well, I’ll be sure to report back when I’m done. Don’t need to leave you worrying, at your age the stress might kill ya!”

“I AM NOT THAT OLD YOU UNGRATEFUL BRAT!”

Keeper darted out of his shop cackling, Sly shouting at them all the while. They just make it to the well when they hear:

“MAKE SURE YOU COME BACK BRAT! YOU OWE ME 50 GEO FOR THAT COMMENT!”

Before his door slammed shut.

“Heh, sure thing, old man.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Elderbug, I promise, but you gotta admit that kind of behavior isn’t out of character for him.


	9. Interlude: Little Ghost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A different perspective

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While writing, I realized that maybe I should clarify that I’m Canadian and my spellchecker tools are weirdly unstable with country specific grammar, so if my grammar seems like an unholy amalgamation of European and American that’s why

Ghost was not stupid. There were many things they did not understand, like why Hornet couldn’t have just _told_ them what she wanted from them, why Oro pretended he didn’t like the delicate flower Ghost brought him, or why Zote was so... Zote, but they were not stupid.

They knew someone was following them, and would have even if they hadn’t actually seen them. They weren’t very good at hiding, peeking out from obvious corners and occasionally throwing rocks at Ghost’s enemies as if trying to help. Plus, it’s kind of hard to hide when have _bells_ tied to your horns.

They were a vessel like Ghost, about the same height though their horns were a little taller. They had four of them too, all on top of their head, the outer pair looked liked Ghost’s though they came to a point rather than an indent and were a little thicker, with a small outward spike halfway up that curls upward, the inner two were straight points, a little shorter and thinner, curling back _just_ slightly.

The red of their tattered cloak reminded them a little of Hornet, though the colour was very faded, and that blade...  
They hadn’t even noticed that the kingsmould they use to get into the White Palace was missing it’s weapon, not at first. Their little sibling seemed to be very resourceful.

It was weird though, why were they following them? They didn’t seem to want something as they made no move to approach, but Ghost really couldn’t figure out why. Were they just checking on them? Were they worried? Ghost does get into a lot of dangerous situations, but they handle themselves well. There really wasn’t a need for it.

Then there was the last time they saw them... Ghost really didn’t know what to make of it.  
They had just defeat another Dream Warrior and had turned to the stag station when they saw their sibling duck behind the wall. If Ghost could sigh, they probably would have. They had wondered what their sibling planned to do, there were no hiding spots over there after all.

They’d hopped over the wall into the dip, and had to stop. Really? The ledge wasn’t that low and they weren’t even covered that well, what did they think that if they froze like a tiktik in the lantern Ghost wouldn’t see them? Even if Ghost hadn’t landed in the dip, they had left a mossfly carcass right outside the opening to their hiding spot!  
Ghost had to wonder if they weren’t trying to get caught.

They had let it go however, their sibling wasn’t really inhibiting them in any way so they didn’t mind whatever games they were playing. As long as no one was getting hurt, they didn’t care.

Hopping into the stag station had answered some questions though. Although their sibling knew how to fight, they didn’t seem to do it often- really they seemed to avoid it as much as possible- and the swarm of traitors outside the station would probably have been too much for them. So, Ghost decided that they would take care of them before returning to The Resting Grounds to turn in their essence.

Really though, their sibling was weird.


	10. Grey Skies Aren’t All Bad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wounds tended, break time is over!

He’s rested long enough, Buck was still waiting out there for him and the mantises were likely long gone.  
Packing his supplies back into his satchel, he makes a mental note to wash the two vials he used as soon as he can, never know when you may need them after all.

Taking a last look around the grove to commit it to memory, he bows to the grave before carefully maneuvering around the thorns.  
It pains him to leave without a sample of the strange flowers, but unfortunately he doesn’t have anyway to properly harvest them. Heck, he doesn’t even know if they are safe to harvest. 

Well, he knows where they are now, and they appear to have been here undisturbed for a while, so he can have patience. Perhaps he can ask around and see if anyone can give some insight into them? Keeper may know something, they always seem to have knowledge on the most random of subjects.

Thinking of Keeper lightens his mood a bit though not without a hint of... something. Guilt? Incredulity? Humour? It feels like all three.

_“Be careful out there! The traitors have been especially aggressive lately!”_

_“I’d noticed!” Certainty called back in sync with Buck’s nod.  
“We know what we’re doing, hm?”_

And of course; he had completely disregarded his instincts. Really, you’d think with his age and experience that he would know better.  
However, everyone makes mistakes and he is no different.  
They’re never going to let him live it down are they? He’ll probably have to bribe them to get them to stop.

Looking out the alcove he confirms the mantises are gone, although he’s surprised the traitors left so soon, he can’t hear them from below.  
Cautiously making his way down the platforms, he does in fact see no traitors in front of the door... but the door is open.

Quickly scurrying down the rest of the platforms he reaches the door and...

It’s a massacre, twelve, maybe fifteen traitors lie dead in the station, Buck nowhere in sight.

Buck could not have done this. He means his friend no ill when he says they are simply not _capable_ of this carnage. Even if the had somehow overcome their psychological difficulties with the situation, they are not a melee fighter. There is no way anyone accomplished taking on fifteen mantis traitors, in as close quarters setting as a stag station, and _winning_ , without using fast close combat methods. That or magic, of which Buck knows nothing but self-healing.

He’s not sure who it could have been though, Sly would not leave his shop in Dirtmouth and the nailmasters are unlikely to come to the Gardens. He supposes it could be that spider-halfling though he has his doubts, she appears to deliberately avoid the Gardens for some reason.

The combatant (whoever they were) likely arrived on the stag and hit the lever, only to be bombarded with mantis traitors, showed impeccable skill in defeating them, before leaving the station out into the gardens.

Who has the skill, that would also use the stagway? Though most know that the stagways have opened again, very, very few use them. He has never understood why, when asking those that do travel around the kingdom why not, they give excuses that are clearly just that; excuses.

No, he can worry about this after, he needs to find Buck.  
Whoever did this was likely the one to open the door, Buck would not have stuck around while they did so meaning they were likely long gone by the time the combatant arrived or left just as they did.

Buck would not have taken the stag which leaves... ah there!  
A hole in the wall leading back out into the Gardens, and it looked big enough for Buck to stand up in.  
Leaping up into a crouch in the hole, he crawls through it to investigate.

On the other side is a small room resembling the rest of the Gardens, with a small dip in the middle, and there, resting at the bottom of the dip, is a mossfly corpse, with unmistakable slash marks.  
Crawling the rest of the way out of the hole, he sets his sights on the next room.

Well, that settles it then, doesn’t it?


	11. There Are Always Bad Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mystery it seems...

In the higher groves of the Queen’s Gardens, a little vessel stands behind a puppeteered corpse with their blade in their claws and their stance shaking.

They can do it. It’s just one spiny husk. They’ve got this under control, they can do this.

**They can’t they can’t they can’t do it not strong enough not brave enough not enough _they are not enough-_**

They dart into the underbrush just as the husk turns around.  
**Why do they bother? They know they can’t face them, they never can. They should just stick to hiding like they always do. Music Friend was probably fine without them, maybe he even left? He should, it’s not like Buck was worth staying.**

As the husk wanders further away from the doorway, Buck darts through it as fast as they can, refusing to acknowledge their thoughts. It’s not important- **but it is** \- it’s _not!_ It doesn’t matter what they think, it doesn’t matter what the voice in their head tells them, if Music Friend is out there then they have to find him, whether he needs them or not!

Buck is so caught up arguing with themselves that they are just blindly charging ahead not even seeing where their going, and run straight into something big and black, bouncing off of it like the mushrooms in the Fungal Wastes.

Shaking their head to clear it, they feel one of their bells come loose and drop to the floor. Gently picking it up and cradling it in their claws, they look up to see what they hit.

It looks like... a waterfall of void? But it has.. stabilizer-things on the top and bottom preventing it from going anywhere.  
Getting up to touch it, it felt cold but not freezing. It was like a cold that had long settled into your exoskeleton rather than the shock of a new temperature.

It flowed around and over Buck’s claw like water, but when pushing on it, it was firm and unyielding like a muscle. It felt as if it was alive actually, like someone was standing under a waterfall and Buck was trying to push them out.

The holder-things looked like they were made of the same material as those idols that hold Soul. A dark metal that was reflective even if there was no light.  
They take advantage of this to tie their bell back on with some of their weaver silk, bobbing their head back and forth to make sure it’s secure.

With that fixed, they rummage through their stuff and pull out one of their charms and hold it up to the ‘stabilizer’. Yep, they’re pretty sure that’s the same material too.

They found this particular charm when they were crawling out of their birthplace and picked it up. They never quite managed to figure out what it did - putting it on did nothing - but they liked the pretty wing-like swirls and it reminded them of their siblings.

They had three more charms, though they could only use two of them. They didn’t have enough notches to be able to use the third, but it was very pretty and Buck always kept everything. They wonder though...

Equipping the charm to their notches, they back up and take running start at the gate again... only to be bounced flat on their back.

Well, it _could_ have worked. The charm has similarities to the stoppers, it had never done anything before and this _was_ new.  
It doesn’t seem like they can get past this gate-thing right now, and continuing upwards instead looks to trying for Music Friend (he was injured after all). Guess right was not correct, left it is!

* * *

Back-tracking is much easier than it was to get here, and really it’s not like this dead end was completely pointless, they did find something quite interesting! Maybe their friends will know something about it? Probably not, as it does seem void related, but it couldn’t hurt to ask! 

The left path opens with one of the little.. uh.. Music Friend called them ‘ga-zee-bows’ they think? It looks really pretty and the glass is gone leading right out into a small clearing in the Gardens, it looks like a fun place to play!

Buck is nothing if not and opportunist and immediately throws themselves into rolling around in the moss and grass, silently giggling all the while. They don’t know what it is about open spaces like this that are so fun to run around in but they enjoy it all the same.

They’re rolling around in the grass, throwing moss in the air, and then swatting at it to fling it as far as they can before landing on their back, their bells jingling a cheerful tone against their head.  
They reach for more moss and look up...

... just to come face to face with a loodle.

Oh, if Buck could scream.

Before the loodle could jump, regardless of which direction it landed, Buck is grabbing their claw blade and smacking the infected creature over and over again, screaming in their mind all the while. There is no finesse, no skill in their movements, just blind, unadulterated fear.

It takes a while for the orange light in the loodle’s eyes to die (the claw blade is not meant for this kind of action), and even longer for Buck to realize it’s dead. They kneel there on the ground, panting for breath that they don’t need, before crawling back to the gazebo, tucking themselves into a corner, hiding their head in their tiny knees and beginning to silently cry. The stress of today finally boiling over.

They just want to find their friend and go home. Crawl into their nest and just wait for tomorrow to come, or maybe just hope that it doesn’t, just lie there.

**It would be better if it didn’t.**

They flinch when they feel arms wrap around them and their head shoots up.

“It’s alright now, my friend. You’re safe, I’m right here.”

Music Friend, he found them, he’s safe. They can see the bandages on his shoulder and knee but he’s okay. They throw themselves into his arms and begin to cry in earnest, tears of void sliding down their mask.

They’re okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who else saw that little clearing with the gazebo and thought “man, I kinda want to just frolic about here a bit.”?


	12. The Dew Drips Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first bug is warned, and a new friend(?) is made!

The Crossroads are quiet in an eerie way. While they had always been quiet before, it had been in a somber, calming manner. Now there was a heavy atmosphere that held a feeling of threat and malice, like the walls themselves were glaring at you. Keeper thinks they’re going to miss the old Crossroads, for more than they had thought.

Nothing to be done about it though, only prepare and adapt to the new climate. They haven’t had to in a while, after the king disappeared the kingdom became.. stagnant. All change just seemed to halt, seasons- days- the progression of time itself seemed to stop, when was the last time they had seen the sky as anything other than a cloudy night? They can’t remember.

They land at the bottom of the well as quietly as the can, two of the mutated vengeflies take up the western path so they head east, it should be the faster route the abandoned village anyway.

The sight of a normal tiktik brings them more relief than they’d like to dwell on, but they don’t have much chance to anyway. On the ground under it is another altered husk, your common citizen this time. It doesn’t _look_ much different, it’s eyes glow brighter and it has some pustules but other than that it looks like your average husk. Keeper knows though, looks can be deceiving.

The room is relatively spacious, so they take a rock throw it to get the thing’s attention before taking to the air to watch. What happened shouldn’t have surprised them, but it did. As soon as it had a direction to attack, it through itself towards the wall and exploded with the same force as the vengeflies. 

“Right, okay.. noted.”

This is going to suck.

* * *

“Oh come _on_!”

A few moments later sees Keeper dashing into the stag station for a break, having just made their way back to it from the False Knight’s former den. _Apparently_ , both the passage through there and the one by the stagway are now blocked. Meaning that so far, this has been an entire waste of time and they have to face the vengeflies anyway... unless? 

The pass by the tramway is usually filled with aspid mothers, but while they’re annoying, annoying is better than truly dangerous. Can’t hurt to check.

Quickly climbing up to the passage way, they note the missing husks of mercenaries that used to dwell there.  
They had honestly never killed them because they found them to be a novelty (as morbid as that may seem). The profession was outlawed in Hallownest back in it’s hay-day so they had never seen a living mercenary before; those ones had been infected long before they had ever met them.

Coming to the edge of the passage down, they take a breath.  
They _hate_ aspid mothers. Their constant spawning of never ending children that swarm relentlessly, and to have three of them nesting in the same tunnel! They plan to just sprint as fast as they can past them, luckily they’re slow.

Dropping down to the first platform, the aspids immediately wake and begin the chase. Slow though they are their hatchings fly at an impressive speed for bugs that had existed for only a few seconds.  
Keeper forces themself to to pay them no mind, hopping down platforms with their wings tucked to their body as tightly as they can manage.

Their luck pays off as the tunnel isn’t blocked with infection, they hit the platform into the new room and don’t stop their momentum. They don’t know what’s in this room but they have long since known the gruz mother that sleeps here is dead, and they can see that there’s nothing in the air here.

They sprint through the gruz mother’s chamber and spread their wings to glide from the ledge to the charm guru’s hut overlooking the abandoned village.

Landing, they stop to catch their breath, looking over their shoulder they can see some of the new exploding and spitting husks in the village. The air here is curiously not as potent, still sickly sweet, but it’s drowned out by the scent of incense and washed away by something else, something... refreshing?

Not important. 

Knocking on the doorframe, they swipe aside the silk curtain and duck into the hut.

* * *

The charm guru, who introduces herself as Salubra, does in fact notice the changes as it turns out. She is simply not all that concerned about it.  
She claims that they’re not all that noticeable in these parts of the Crossroads and her little overlook is not really in anymore danger than it was before, and considering it was only in the last moon that she even noticed the village was empty; it’s safe to say she should be fine.

She thanks Keeper for their concern anyway, and promises that- in the event she finds her safety no longer certain- she is perfectly capable of making her way to Dirtmouth on her own.

Sitting down heavily on the bench outside the hut, Keeper takes a breath, closes their eyes, and tosses their head back over the bench. Despite Salubra’s promises, they can’t help but feel like they haven’t actually achieved anything by coming down here. Hopefully this isn’t the start of a trend regarding their coming visits.

Opening their eyes to stare at the ceiling, they think about which of their destinations is closest to where they are. They consider the fungal wastes, before squinting at the ceiling.

Is that? There seem to be some kind of blue light streaming in from a small opening in the top of the wall, the pattern it leaves suggests it’s a reflection of water, and very clear water at that. It’s probably where that fresh scent is coming from.

They really should be moving on, but hey, who’s to say it’s not a short cut somewhere? Plus they’re super curious.

Swinging themself off the bench, they spread their wings and give them two good flaps to reach the opening’s height before settling to a comfortable hover.

They groan in exasperation at the tight fit it will be, they don’t care if the wyrm would have to have crawled to get through it too, they blame the shorty anyway. Making sure the latch on their basket is secure, they toss it through the hole ahead of them to give themself as much space as possible.

Struggling to get their claws on the ground in a way that they can comfortably walk on them, they end up having the forgo comfort for the sake of not stabbing themself. Their legs go in easy enough, but they have to arch their back close to the ground to keep from tearing up their wings on the low ceiling.

“I must look ridiculous.”

Luckily the passageway was short. Dropping down onto a shellwood dock, they gasp as they look up.

The most gorgeous underground lake they have ever seen sits in front of them. The water shines clearer than the crystals in the Peak, reflecting off the whole cavern to light it up beautifully. It’s so peaceful, the water is so still, the cavern feels so quiet they think their breaths are echoing off the walls.

The spell is broken by a splash from the other side of the lake. It’s a short flight, and they’ve come this far.

They’re glad they did.

For as long as they’ve can remember, their height has been and annoyance, tunnels and doorways in the kingdom are either absurdly short or absurdly tall. Their claws are just as much a frustration; wonderful for fighting, but they had to learn from a young age how to use their wrists as hands, the hooks on their claws as fingers- while not stabbing themself or others.  
They have never been so grateful for them.

Luckily the pillbug seemed to have merely _walked_ into the lake, rather than tried to jump further out, their claws likely wouldn’t have been able to reach him then. Kneeling on the shellwood “beach”, their long arms and claws allow them to hook their claws under his arms and pull him onshore where he immediately begins coughing up water.

“Why- ***cough cough*** wh-why would you d-do that?”

Keeper couldn’t keep their incredulous fury out of their voice even if they wanted to.

“Why? _Why?!_ There are a million-and-one ways to die in Hallownest, and you’re just going to do it _yourself?!_ You want to die?! **Fine!** Go to the Colosseum why don’t cha?! But _**DO NOT**_ insult the rest of us who are trying our _**DAMNEDEST**_ to stay alive by _throwing your life away!_ ”

He looks like he doesn’t know how to respond to such a self-centred reason for saving someone’s life. Just sitting there with a dumbfounded look about him.  
They’re not sure themself why they saved him, it’s not as if deaths don’t happen all the time around here. They just... it felt like something they had to do. 

They feel themself get more flustered the longer he stares at them. So, when they have no words to resolve the situation; they bail. Promptly turning their embarrassment to anger and storming off down the corridor.

“W-wait!” He grabs what is presumably his nail sticking out of the ground and scrambles to follow them.

Great. Guess he’s coming with then...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow okay, so writer’s block is an interesting thing to experience. Keep in mind that I have NO idea where I’m going with this story, like, at _all_  
>  And please don’t expect me to know what a schedule is, this is literally just a little project for me to work on when the mood strikes.


	13. And The Sun Dawns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enemies are fought, mysteries are found, ingredients are harvested, and reunions are had!

The grave totem is quite exquisite really, tall and clearly made of a stone that keeps well, and very artistically carved. He wonders how well it portrays whomever was buried here...

He had made a small detour back to the spring under the stag station to wash out his now empty vials. The spring was tiny, but rather clean, though the broken glass around it was odd.

With two free vials and a set course, he takes one last look at the totem before carrying on. The next room opens to a large area with a few petra. No sign of Buck, though with this much space they could have probably slipped through without having to engage them.

He is not so lucky however. His injuries, though treated, mean he will have to confront them. He should be fine though, the tonic holds strong and his bandages are firm.

Readjusting his bycocket, he draws his coiled nail. He’d had it thinned by the nailsmith in the city to better fit his preferred style of nail fighting; light and quick. He wastes no time taking advantage of the element of surprise and strikes the first petra across the abdomen.

It flinches minutely before quickly retaliating with a swipe of it’s claws. Certainty jumps back to dodge it and though he’s not as fast as he’d like he manages to avoid the strike to his thorax.

Deciding that he’s far enough to forgo chase, the petra winds up and tosses a blade at him. Certainty uses this to his advantage and uses his nail to launch himself off the spinning blade and slice right across it’s spiracles, forcing it to choke on it’s own hemolymph. One down.

The other petra has noticed him and promptly flings a blade at him, but misjudges his weight as he falls back to the ground before it can hit him. A leap from his powerful legs sends him to the other side of the room and just under the petra as he strikes it twice in quick succession once on each set of wings, forcing it to ground as he bounds back from it.

At the loss of it’s aerial advantage it begins relying heavily on it’s ranged attacks, tossing blade after blade towards him. He blocks them as best he can while steadily moving in, the weight of the bombardment occasionally staggering him.

Close enough that it switches to it’s claws, they begin the dance of circles and parries. It goes on for longer than he’d like, but it’s long thin neck leaves it open to easy decapitation when he gets an opening.

That taken care of, he heads up to the next room. One look at it and he can’t help but smirk in amusement, at times it really did seem as if Hallownest was designed for the short. Oh, he could just hear Keeper’s bemoaning now, poor thing.

Making his way through the short tunnels, he looks up to see they continue even higher. These tunnels however, he can see are simply _infested_ with fool eaters. While Buck would not have gone that way (they know the signs well), he would be.. well.. a fool to pass up the opportunity to harvest some of their nectar. Especially if the tunnel ends in a dead end as he suspects, the ones near the back would be particularly starved making their glands overworked in desperation.

He’ll have to do this carefully though, he wouldn’t want to have to damage this arrangement. He carefully calculates how far to make his jumps that he doesn’t get caught, and starts making for the end of the tunnel. 

It’s a remarkable little trap, the tunnel’s width is near perfectly equal to the length of a fool eater, and with them so close together it would be nearly impossible to traverse without engaging the plants or a biological advantage such as his.

As he climbs higher, he starts seeing something peculiar. Pale glowing roots begin to line the walls, giving off a similar sense to that of Soul. Reaching the end of the tunnel, he checks the nectar glands of the fool eaters and finds that while the ones at the back are definitely more hungry than the ones with easy access to prey, they’re not as starved as they should be.

It would seem that these strange, but clearly powerful roots are nourishing them. How strange. A second mystery to be found in the Queen’s Gardens and he’s not even explored the whole of them.

Taking out one of his vials he carefully collects the fool eater’s nectar, minding the sensor hairs as to not trigger it. There is enough that a single plant manages to fill the whole vial, truly remarkable. He will have to remember this place, the roots would seem to be perfectly capable of keeping them alive but hungry in a perfect state for harvest.

Making his way back down the tunnel, he continues on to the next room and...

Loodles. Loodles _everywhere._

He can count fifteen of them right off the bat! Thank the stars they are not inherently hostile, though their mindless bouncing is dangerous on it’s own. He supposes it’s good to know that there is a thriving flock here for future reference, he wonders if he can separate one? Best to make for the other side of the room first, personal interests secondary.

He watches them for a moment, observing their patterns. There seems to be a path to the side they can’t regularly leap into, though there is a fool eater in it, he can handle that. Keeping and eye on them he slowly takes the path, quickly severing half of the fool eaters jaw at the stem.

He makes it halfway through when a single loodle springs into the path by chance, lucky him. Striking it down he brings the corpse with him to the next room, it has some loodles of it’s own though definitely not as much, as well as the fossil of a large creature for him to hide behind.

Doing just that, Certainty takes out the other, new cleaned vial and his brewer’s needle to begin extracting the eyes. Loodle eyes are mostly used in potions though there are a few elixirs that use them as well. ‘Alma’s Brew’ for example is a better energizer than any caffeinated drink that he knows of, though it is better used when you need a boost of adrenaline rather than when trying to stay awake.  
That done, he moves on to the next room slicing any loodle that hops too close.

The next room is a nice little clearing with a cozy little gazebo. Glancing over the area, he notices the truly brutalized corpse of a loodle. It looks like someone beat it to death with a stick! He looks up for any clue on who did this and sees.. a claw blade, a very familiar claw blade covered in infection.

Picking it up he glances at the gazebo and looks closer. There, he can see them now, huddled in a dark corner, their shoulders shaking though not hard enough for their bells to jingle. The poor thing.

Quietly making his way over, he gently wraps his arms around them. Their head shoots up and he can see their strange black tears rolling down their mask.

“It’s alright now, my friend. You’re safe, I’m right here.”

Their sobs, though silent, grow heavy as they throw themself into his arms. He gently rocks them back and forth while murmuring comforting words. Goodness today must have been a lot for them, he can’t imagine the stress their anxiety must have added to today’s hardships. Well, it’s over now.

Time to go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it obvious I have a bit of a height complex? I feel like it is.  
> Is it annoying?  
> Obviously.  
> Am I going to stop?  
> Probably not.


End file.
